Moxhe, Bronte

Moxhe restaurant at Bronte is a small but cosy restaurant located in Bronte, it’s definitely a local gem and deserves much more attention than what it gets right now. The restuarant is run by David and Helen, a lovely couple who both previously worked at The Four Seasons in Sydney. I had the pleasure of visiting a few weeks ago on a quiet weekday evening to sample some of their dishes.

Grilled loligo squid, fennel, hazelnuts, orange

The grilled squid was one of the first entrees to arrive and was absolutely delicious. The squid is cooked perfectly to keep it tender and the mixture of fennel and orange gives it a nice subtle citrus taste.

Amuse bouche

House bread with fennel seeds

After being seated we were served amuse bouche which was a flavoursome morsel of cured salmon. The bread with fennel seeds which is prepared and baked in the restaurant is a very nice starter.

Spanner crab, peas, coriander

The first thing about this dish that struck me was how smooth and flavoursome the sauce was, it’s actually a delicious house made mayo. The crab itself is absolutely amazing and I would love this as a main. Another interesting fact is that everything green on the dish is picked from the herb garden out the back.

Poached fish fillet, saffron, mussels, leeks

I’m actually not a huge fan of mussels so those went over to Kelly (MsBrulee) who was dining with me that evening. The fish at Moxhe is sourced fresh every morning by David at the fish markets so the menu constantly changes, Moxhe does its best to source sustainable species which was a nice touch.

Crispy skin kingfish, fennel, lentils, asparagus, kale

When I saw kingfish on the menu I knew I had to order it. I do have to mention though that I prepare my kingfish raw, however the selling point here was that it is actually served medium rare which seemed a little daring but worked out quite well and resulted in a great dish.

Chocolate tart, coffee ice cream

Apple tart, vanilla and cognac ice cream

As David is Belgian, it was a given that we were going to end up with Belgian chocolate on the menu. The chocolate tart is divine, it’s served hot so the chocolate literally melts in your mouth. The apple tart on it’s own is great (especially the ice cream!) but the chocolate definitely took the limelight.

Petit fours

At the end of the meal, every diner is served a delicious petit fours of crisp biscuit and Belgian chocolate.

Herb garden – photo thanks to David

Moxhe is probably going to go down as one of my favourite meals of the year for both food and atmosphere. The food itself is good and although I’m normally not a fan of seafood I was surprised to find that I enjoyed almost every dish on the menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant is also just perfect, it’s small enough that it has a great cosy home feeling with a welcoming vibe.

The Food Diary dined as guests of Moxhe.All views and opinions expressed in this post are our own.